The legal profession in Hong Kong is divided into two distinct branches — barristers and solicitors. Solicitors have limited rights of audience before the courts whereas barristers have unlimited rights of audience in all courts. Lawyers practising within one branch of the profession are not, at the same time, allowed to practise within the other branch.

Hong Kong has more than 5 600 practising solicitors and 690 local law firms, plus some 37 foreign law firms, 769 registered foreign lawyers, and seven registered associations between foreign law firms and local law firms.

The Law Society is the governing body for solicitors and foreign lawyers and foreign law firms. It has wide responsibilities for maintaining professional and ethical standards and for considering complaints against these legal professionals.

Around 370 solicitors are also notaries public and members of the Hong Kong Society of Notaries, providing notarial services to different sectors of the community.

Hong Kong has more than 940 practising barristers, whose governing body is the Hong Kong Bar Association. The Code of Conduct for the Bar of the HKSAR governs their conduct and etiquette.